Cell culture models in vitro have long served as tools for the elucidation of pathophysioligcal cellular and molecular mechanisms of diseases. Recently these versatile model systems have permeated into toxicology and tissue engineering research. Although these models do not exactly simulate the cellular architecture in tissues and organs in vivo, they facilitate gaining mechanistic insights regarding role(s) of a particular cell type. However, co-culture cell systems of two different but functionally complementary cell types provide structural and functional perspectives that single-cell-type models do not offer. There are few cell model systems developed employing peripheral neural cell types for nanotoxicological and tissue engineering studies. We have therefore initiated a systematic development of this type of model systems using dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and Schwann cells. Our first model involves a non-contact co-culture model of Schwann cells and DRG neurons using the hanging cell culture insert. The results from our studies to date as well as those from our ongoing studies demonstrate that our non-contact co-culture model is highly suitable for both high throughput and mechanistic studies in nanotoxicological and tissue engineering research. (182 words)